Device for provision of access to data

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a device for provision of access to data in various data sources. Said device is provided with means which permit a user to gain a uniform central access to all data sources and a uniform visualization of the data from the corresponding data sources. The various data sources are automation devices, ERP devices, MES devices and other production relevant data sources.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is the U.S. National Stage of International ApplicationSer. No. PCT/DE2003/003237, filed Sep. 29, 2003 and claims the benefitthereof. The International Application claims the benefits of Germanapplication No. 10253385.7 filed Nov. 15, 2002, both applications areincorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a device for the provision of access to data invarious data sources.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In an enterprise numerous different systems or devices are used forplanning and implementing, for example, a production. So-called ERP(Enterprise Resource Planning) devices, MES (Maintenance ExecutionSystem) devices and automation devices will be referred to here asexamples. ERP devices and MES devices are generally used for preparingand planning production. The automation systems are used directly in theproduction field for controlling, regulating and monitoring a productionplant.

To enable a user to gain access to the data stored in the variousdevices or data sources, according to the prior art each data sourceused in an enterprise generally provides its own, separate interface foraccessing the data contained in the data source concerned. Therefore, ifa user requires, for example, data from the automation device, theautomation device ensures access to the data stored therein via aseparate interface. For access to data of the ERP device, said devicemakes available its own interface.

It follows directly from the foregoing that the differentproduction-relevant data in an enterprise can currently be accessed onlyin a distributed manner. Consequently, a user must have available verynumerous applications and installations to be able to gain access to thevarious data sources. Furthermore, according to the prior art it is notpossible to combine the data of different data sources with one anotherand thereby to make possible an overview of the production-relevant dataof the enterprise. In addition, because of the distributed access to thedifferent data sources, different links, passwords and the like must beadministered for the individual data sources. According to the priorart, therefore, it is not possible to satisfy the increased requirementfor information, evaluations and visualizations of production-relevantdata of an enterprise held in different devices.

Starting from this consideration, it is the object of the presentinvention to create a novel device for providing access to data invarious data sources.

This object is achieved by the claims.

According to the invention the device includes means that make possibleuniform access to all data sources and uniform visualization of the datain the corresponding data sources.

The data sources are an automation device and/or an ERP device and/or anMES device and/or another data source containing production-relevantdata.

According to an advantageous development of the invention, the meansmake possible role-based access to the data in the various data sourcesin such a way that, for one or more users, a uniform, central access todata sources predetermined for the user concerned, and a visualizationpredetermined for the user concerned, are ensured.

A polling device that is freely configurable by users is preferablypresent for acquiring data cyclically from different data sources andevaluating it such a way that upon attainment of a criterionconfigurable by users a corresponding message is automatically producedand a corresponding visualization is automatically generated and madeavailable to the or each user.

Preferred developments of the invention are apparent from the dependentclaims and from the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention—which is not limitedthereto—is elucidated in more detail below with reference to thedrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram to clarify the prior art;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram to clarify the principle underlying theinvention, and

FIG. 3 is a block diagram to clarify the operation of the deviceaccording to the invention for providing access to data in varioussources.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows in highly schematized form the access to data contained invarious data sources commonly used in the prior art. FIG. 1 shows atotal of five data sources 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. The data source 1 ispreferably a so-called Maintenance Execution System (MES) device. Datasource 2, by contrast, is preferably an ERP device, also referred to asan Enterprise Resource Planning device. Data source 3 may be anautomation device, for example, an SPC control system. Data source 4 maybe, for example, a database containing historical production data. Datasource 5 is preferably a database containing customer-specific data. Itis self-evident that numerous other data sources may be present in anenterprise. The data sources 1 to 5 enumerated here represent only oneexemplary selection of production-relevant data sources.

According to the prior art each of the data sources 1 to 5 provides aseparate interface 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10. Each of the interfaces 6 to 10 isan interface specific to the corresponding data source 1 to 5. For eachof the interfaces 6 to 10 a user who wishes to gain access to data inthe respective data source requires a separate password, separatesoftware and the like. According to the prior art, therefore, the datasources 1 to 5 are accessed in a distributed manner.

According to the invention a device for providing access to the data inthe various data sources 1 to 5 is provided which makes possibleuniform, central access to all the data sources 1 to 5. For this purposethe device includes means, in particular an interface 11, with which auser can gain uniform and central access to all the various data sources1 to 5. According to the invention, therefore, a so-called “single pointof access” to all the data sources present in an enterprise is created(see FIG. 2).

The details of the device according to the invention are elucidated inmore detail below with reference to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 shows a plurality ofusers 12, 13 and 14 who access the data sources 1 to 5. For each user12, 13 and 14, central and uniform access to all the data sources 1 to 5is ensured via the interface 11. Because the inventive device forproviding access to the various data sources 1 to 5 can therefore beused simultaneously by a plurality of users 12 to 14, said device isconfigured to be multiuser-capable. In addition, the interface 11 makespossible central access to all production-relevant data in all datasources present in the enterprise.

The interface 11 includes an access administration device 17. Thisaccess administration device 17 may also be referred to as a portalframework. The access administration device 17 executes, in particular,password-protected access to the data sources 1 to 5 of the enterprise.

Thus, a user 12, 13 or 14 who for example accesses the interface 11 viaan Internet data line 15 or other data line (for example, LAN, WAP) mustenter a password before the access administration device 17 allowsaccess to the data sources 1 to 5. Such login passwords are stored inthe access administration device 17, and when the device according tothe invention is called by one of the users 12 to 14 it is verified inthe access administration device 17 whether the password entered by oneof the users 12, 13 or 14 matches the password stored in the accessadministration device 17. Security functions are accordingly performedin the access administration device 17.

In addition, the access administration device 17 ensures role-basedaccess for the or each user 12, 13 and 14 to the data in the variousdata sources 1 to 5. Role-based access should be understood to mean thatthe access administration device 17 identifies the user 12, 13 or 14,for example, by means of the password, and on the basis of thisidentification enables the user to access predetermined data sourceswhile not permitting access to other data sources. It is therebypossible to provide each different user with specific, individual accessto all the data sources 1 to 5. For clarification it should be notedthat, for example, different process-relevant data is of interest to amanagement user than, for example, to a service user or a qualityassurance user. With the aid of such role-based access to the variousdata sources 1 to 5, the inventive device therefore makes possible apre-filtering of the diverse data, which pre-filtering can be definedindividually for every possible user.

In addition, the device according to the invention includes a dataacquisition device 18. This data acquisition device 18 may also bereferred to as a portal Web service. The data acquisition device 18accesses the various data sources 1 to 5 in a manner controlled by theaccess administration device 17. For this purpose the data acquisitiondevice 18 is in contact with each of the data sources 1 to 5 andexchanges information with each of the data sources 1 to 5, for example,via an Internet data line 16. If a management user, for example, logs inby entering the corresponding password to the device according to theinvention, the access administration device 17 determines the datasources relevant for the management user, for example, the EnterpriseResource Planning data sources and the data source on historicalinformation, and causes the data acquisition device 18 to fetch thecorresponding data from the predetermined data sources.

In addition, the device according to the invention includes avisualization device having a plurality of visualization components 19.The visualization components 19 may also be referred to as portalmodules. The data fetched by the data acquisition device 18 from thevarious data sources 1 to 5 is visualized uniformly for the or each user12 to 14 via the visualization components 19. The visualizationcomponents 19, implemented on the basis of so-called ASP.NET technology,display preferably data from the various data sources 1 to 5simultaneously or jointly in a visualization window. Very convenient andsimple viewing of all data relevant to production or to the enterpriseand manufacture is thereby made possible for the user.

In addition, the device according to the invention includes a pollingdevice 20 that is freely configurable by the users 12 to 14. Such apolling device may also be referred to as a portal agent. With such apolling device it is possible for the users 12 to 14 to acquire andmonitor data held in readiness in various data sources 1 to 5 by, forexample, cyclical polling, and to evaluate said data in such a way that,upon attainment of a criterion defined by the user 12, 13 or 14, acorresponding message is automatically generated whereby the user 12, 13or 14 is notified that the criterion has been attained. In this case allthe relevant data is preferably assembled in such a way that all theresults acquired and assembled in an automated manner by the portalagent are made available and visualized in an automated manner to theuser upon next logging in. It is thereby possible by means of theinventive device to define in the background and automatically, withoutthe user being present, production criteria the attainment of which isautomatically monitored by the inventive device.

1-8. (canceled)
 9. A device for the provision of access to data invarious data sources, wherein the data are data of an automation device,and/or data of an ERP device, and/or data of an MES device, and/or otherproduction-relevant data of another data source, wherein the devicecomprises mechanisms for providing a uniform, central access to all datasources and for uniform visualization of the data in the data sources.10. The device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the mechanisms provide arole-based access to the data in the various data sources such that forone or more users uniform access to the data sources predetermined for aparticular user, and visualization of this data predetermined for theuser, are ensured.
 11. The device as claimed in claim 9, wherein themechanisms comprise an access administration device for providing apassword-protected access and a role-based access for one or more usersto the data in the various data sources.
 12. The device as claimed inclaim 10, wherein the mechanisms comprise an access administrationdevice for providing a password-protected access and a role-based accessfor one or more users to the data in the various data sources.
 13. Thedevice as claimed in claim 9, wherein the mechanisms comprise avisualization device to visualize the data in the various data sourcesin a role-based manner.
 14. The device as claimed in claim 10, whereinthe mechanisms comprise a visualization device to visualize the data inthe various data sources in a role-based manner.
 15. The device asclaimed in claim 11, wherein the mechanisms comprise a visualizationdevice to visualize the data in the various data sources in a role-basedmanner.
 16. The device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the visualizationdevice visualizes data from different data sources jointly in avisualization window.
 17. The device as claimed in claim 9, wherein themechanisms comprise a data acquisition device for assembling data fromthe various data sources in a role-based manner.
 18. The device asclaimed in claim 10, wherein the mechanisms comprise a data acquisitiondevice for assembling data from the various data sources in a role-basedmanner.
 19. The device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the mechanismscomprise a data acquisition device for assembling data from the variousdata sources in a role-based manner.
 20. The device as claimed in claim13, wherein the mechanisms comprise a data acquisition device forassembling data from the various data sources in a role-based manner.21. The device as claimed in claim 15, wherein the mechanisms comprise adata acquisition device for assembling data from the various datasources in a role-based manner.
 22. The device as claimed in claim 16,wherein the mechanisms comprise a data acquisition device for assemblingdata from the various data sources in a role-based manner.
 23. Thedevice as claimed in claim 17, wherein the data acquisition deviceaccesses the various data sources in a manner controlled by an accessadministration device and acquires data from these data sources, whereinthe data acquisition device provides this data to a visualizationdevice.
 24. The device as claimed in claim 21, wherein the dataacquisition device accesses the various data sources in a mannercontrolled by the access administration device and acquires data fromthe data sources, wherein the data acquisition device makes the dataavailable to the visualization device.
 25. The device as claimed inclaim 9, further comprising a polling device configurable by users inorder to acquire data cyclically from the various data sources and toevaluate the data in such a way that upon attainment of a criterionconfigurable by users a corresponding message is automaticallygenerated.
 26. A device for providing access to data stemming fromvarious data sources, comprising: a mechanism for providing a uniform,central access to the data sources; and a mechanism for uniformvisualization of the data in the data sources, wherein the data sourcesprovide data from an automation device, and/or data from an ERP device,and/or data from an MES device, and/or data from otherproduction-relevant data sources.